Unbroken : : a World War II Airman's Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / History / World War II / Hillenbrand, Laura	4-week checkout	Due 05-10-2024

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Not what I expected, in a good way submitted by lisapt on June 19, 2011, 4:48pm I'm not sure what I expected in a book about WWII. What I got was the story of true heroes, not the Hollywood ones, but real men who never gave up. I take so much of life for granted, but these heroes fought for every bit of life they were allowed to own. I was also surprised by the positive influence of classic Christianity shown in the book. Lately, showing organized religion of any type has been the fansionalbe thing to do. It is refreshing to see the the power God can have in a perosn's life.

Hillenbrand Clean and Refreshing submitted by Caser on June 30, 2011, 10:22am I don't read a lot of non-fiction, so my praise of Hillenbrand's clear, clean prose may actually be par for the course, but I doubt it. The story of Louie Zamperini's WWII endurance of survival is so rich with head-shaking feats that Hillenbrand does well not to inflate the story with complex or hyperbolic adjectives. In fact, she largely stands out of the way of her character heroes, and with the nearly 10 years worth of research she has collected, allows the details of their lives, and in many cases their exact words, to take the deserved spotlight.

Much of WWII history centers on the European front, which is all but absent from discussion in this Pacific war story. The severity of the Japanese POW camps was new to this reader, and the idea that someone who survived such inhumane treatment could return to this place to forgive and find peace with what happened is inspiring. Gripping and fascinating.

a good read submitted by Johnny Mac on July 17, 2011, 12:49pm I highly reccomend this book.

Moving submitted by tassosv on August 31, 2012, 10:49pm This is a great book, interesting historic background. It's hard to read about life in prison camps without cringing.

Unbroken submitted by leighsprauer on July 27, 2014, 3:05pm I read Seabiscuit several years ago, and other than thinking horses are kind of pretty, I didn't have a big interest in racehorses. But Hillenbrand is such an fantastic writer that I was drawn in. She's done the same with Unbroken. Although the sheer amount of data can make it a bit of a struggle in some parts (for instance, the particulars of Zamperini's running career, and some of the historical background on WWII, made for slow reading), the story is incredibly compelling, and in fact nothing short of miraculous. In short, it's a fantastic book about an incredible man, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Captivating submitted by EJZ on June 24, 2018, 9:30am This book was an inspiring read in so many ways. I am not by any means a WW2 or war buff, and so I had middling expectations of this book. I shouldn't have worried, the story is much less about the brotherhood of war, and more an inspiring tale of personal triumphs amid the fiercest adversity. The hero's (and he is in every sense of the word) nearly unbelievable life is so compellingly told, I was immediately sucked in, and finished the book very quickly.

Exceptionally Well Written Book submitted by Cherrytreelane on July 29, 2018, 4:19pm So much better than most fictional dramas, it has everything - danger, heroism, romance, sports. Amazing story of allow much a person can overcome, told in a really enjoyable to read/listen to way. I loved learning what the survivors drew on from within themselves to survive their ordeals, and to prop up and support those around them. This is one of those stories I'd love to see all high school students read - it's uplifting and empowering, illustrates forgiveness and overcoming what seems like insurmountable odds. Thank you AADL for having this excellent book in your print and audiobook collection!

ERG ERG submitted by yongmeiqin on July 16, 2019, 9:11pm H ETH WR

Worth Reading! submitted by theJakars on July 21, 2020, 8:20am I wasn't always a big fan of books and when I do read I have to love it. This is a true story of survival, life, and history. It was very interesting to read up until the last chapter where I had to skip a bit as it became a bit slow for me.

Enjoy!

Inspiring and powerful submitted by alisonhatch94 on July 22, 2020, 10:27am The story of Louis Zamperini is an incredible one and this book tells it so well. I was amazed about how little I actually knew about the war and the stories of all the men who served were just amazing. I couldn't believe their experiences as pilots and later as prisoners of war, it gave me a whole new perspective to those that fought through these terrible wars.
I look up to Louis Zamperini so much after reading this. He really is an incredible example of perseverance, integrity, and also forgiveness. Great story that kept me captivated the whole book.

Dmfmvmv submitted by Anthany on July 13, 2022, 2:29pm Ebbed